Logan Reese (Warlock)

Description: To many, Logan could be considered beautiful. His features ride the edge between delicacy and strength, with a chiseled bone structure, and deep-set eyes that make his every gaze seem sultry and soulful. Or they might, if not for the uncertainty that burns just beneath the surface. As handsome as he might be, Logan has one flaw that he will never get over. Sprouting from his back are a pair of raven-black wings.

Even those could have been beautiful, angelic despite their stygian colouring, but they are ragged, imperfect things, incapable of anything more helpful than making for an intimidating silhouette. Hiding them has become a constant concern for him, a struggle in which he engages each morning. While fully motile, the human body was never meant to have such extra appendages, and the best he can naturally do is to fold them against himself, which at best results in an oddly humpbacked appearance, and at worse makes it nearly impossible to wear normal clothing. The only workable solution he's yet to find has been to bind them, using a length of heavy ribbon to first loop around the base, and then over his chest, holding the offending limbs tight to his back in an aching bundle.

When so prepared, he can usually manage to squeeze himself into shirts a size larger than his lithe 5'11" frame would suggest, and with the addition of a heavy coat, it would almost be possible to discount their presence, an illusion he relies on when walking amongst mundanes. Even so, Logan gives the impression of being slightly stooped, the extra padding over his shoulders making it seem that he is bearing some unseen weight.

While his wings are the most obvious sign, Logan's demonic heritage is actually expressed twofold. His eyes are dark, a hue that is, in typical human fashion, often mistaken for simply a very dark brown. In truth, they are completely black with both pupil and iris coloured in the same light-devouring shade. This is truly only apparent from up close, but when using his skills, that darkness has a tendency to give way; the silver and lavender fire of his magic amplified until it seems to burn from within their usually light-less depths

History: Some people react to moments of adversity with unforeseen strength. They dig deep, calling on wells of resilience and drive that they themselves never knew they had. But many will falter, their will to go on guttering like a candle in a gale, and in the worst of cases, they can be snuffed out. The birth of her first and only child was just such a moment for Tiffany Reese. Her will was tested, and she failed.

Tiffany had always been a precocious child, rebellious, creative, curious, and prone to fits of introspective melancholy. She stumbled into the shadows through purest chance, and found Logan's father through the worst of luck. It can only be assumed that in him his son's fractured beauty was full formed. She became pregnant, and after what might have been considered a relatively normal nine months, went through a birth that very nearly killed her all by itself. Seeing her child, holding him in her arms, did the rest. She got out of her makeshift bed, wandered into the streets, and succumbed.

Her child would have followed her almost as quickly if not for the Nephilim who had been attempting to track his father. Whether from pragmatism or pity, they chose to provide him shelter, and so it was that Logan Reese became the ward of the Brakewells, a Sighted couple that served the interests of the New York Institute. While not necessarily bad people, the Brakewells did have one glaring fault as caregivers to a Warlock. They were terrified of him.

For all that they knew of the shadow world, the Brakewells were well insulated from it. They performed largely bureaucratic tasks for the Nephilim, and as such had never had such undiluted exposure to a downworlder. Compounding this was their inability to have children of their own. Rather than accepting the ragged little angel she'd been given, Mrs. Brakewell in particular became bitter with the arrangement, and as all children do, Logan could not help but sense the tensions within his family.

Growing up amidst such surrounds, the young warlock soon became adept at acting 'normal'. Under his keeper's watchful gaze, Logan eventually learnt to move and act as though he didn't carry such obvious signs of his heritage, though it never seemed to bring the peace or acceptance he longed for. Instead, his only escape seemed to be the hours in which he was out amongst strangers, when he could hide his deformities beneath a good coat and a backpack, and walk unseen amongst the masses.

It is appropriate, and entirely necessary to note that the protection and care offered to Logan, regardless of its quality, was not totally selfless. As his growing powers would attest, the young warlock's father had been one of the greater demons, and moreover he possessed a rare and valuable affinity for the art of dimensional magic. Throughout his youth, various tutors were brought in, favors called in from Lilith's children all around the city to ensure he had some measure of skill, and though his power is still growing, still maturing, after eighteen years, he has already shown the promise of repaying his debts many times over.

Reaching the age of majority brought a welcome change for the young warlock, freeing him not only to escape the Brakewells, but also to try and find a place in which to learn who he might become. An apartment in the city seemed the easiest method, and with the retainer the Institute offers him in return for maintaining their portal, Logan made the move. He's still adjusting, but as they say, everyone needs a chance to stretch their wings.

Personality: Logan is an unusual man. His heritage has coloured his entire life, leaving him with an inner conflict that has yet to find resolution. As much pain as his mark has brought him, as much as they set him apart, they are still a part of him. He hates the distance they put between him and the mundane world, the way they force him to stand apart or risk censure, but at the same time he is fascinated by them, always wondering what might have been.

While his relative isolation has bred a deep distrust of others into him, Logan still seeks companionship in small ways, spending time amongst crowds solely for the sake of feeling that he is not alone. Even amongst other downworlders he tends to conceal his nature, employing the same precautions he would amongst the mundane in a perhaps misguided attempt to avoid scrutiny.

Despite the pervasive influence of the Nephilim throughout his life, Logan is not entirely comfortable around shadowhunters. He has in the past encountered those who found his mark blasphemous, decrying his heritage as obviously descending from one of the traitorous Fallen, and beyond even that, the Brakewells took great pains to impart to their ward the severity of the punishments that would come down on him were he to put so much as a toe outside the limits the Clave had put forth. In all, this means that he is typically quite deferential toward the Nephilim, avoiding their company when possible, and maintaining the utmost caution when he must deal with them, which given his current profession is far more often than he would prefer.

Despite all this, Logan is not what one might call a maudlin individual. A scholar at heart, he is a great lover of books, having gone so far as to be on general retainer for the Institute in return for access to their libraries. He is possessed of an introspective bent that can often come off as cold or distant, but in truth is only an indication of the serious thought he puts into each action. This can be something of a drawback in moments of stress, as when surprised or put on the spot, his reactions can seem erratic, touched with an uncertainty that comes of lacking his usual careful planning.

Likes: • String music• His wings• Reading• Stargazing• Winter

Dislikes: • His Father• His wings• Lying• Pickles• Swimming

Special Ability: Having descended from a greater demon, Logan's powers are considerable, and when his understanding of the art finally catches up with them, he will likely be quite formidable. For the moment though they are somewhat unstable, resulting in erratic surges in effectiveness unless a great deal of effort is put in toward meticulous casting and control. His most unique trait in this area though is his predilection for spatial distortion. Though not yet so well versed as to be able to create such things himself, Logan is quite capable of reinforcing and maintaining such effects when established by others, and the rarity of his gift ensures that there is always a demand. The young warlock's facility with the demonic languages is passable, but he has yet to attain true fluency.